Preconception - Page 7

Want to know if you're pregnant? Most women use at-home pregnancy tests to test a sample of urine about two weeks after conception, or when they miss a menstrual period. Home pregnancy tests have become more accurate in recent years. Urine tests, in general, are usually 97 percent accurate if the result is positive, indicating that you are pregnant. However, if the test result is negative and your menstrual period doesn't begin, a pregnancy test should be repeated one week later.

Always consult your health care provider to confirm a positive at-home pregnancy test with a more reliable pregnancy test and physical examination. A blood pregnancy test is very accurate and can detect pregnancy by the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG) about 10 days after fertilization. Levels of the hCG hormone nearly double every two days during the first 60 days of pregnancy.

You may or may not experience signs or symptoms of pregnancy. For most women, missing a menstrual period is one of the first, obvious signs. However, some women continue to have some bleeding even while pregnant.

The following are some common early signs of pregnancy:

More tired than usual

Sore and swollen breasts

Nausea or vomiting (also called morning sickness)

The need to urinate more frequently

Certain food cravings or aversions

Abdominal bloating

Darkening of the skin around your nipples (called the areola)

Bluish-purple vaginal and cervical tissue, due to blood engorgement, which can be detected during a pelvic examination